It did not feel like the end of an era, but then it did not feel like anything
much. There was no spite or spittle, no chants demanding the dismissal of
the manager, no sense — as there had been with Steve Bruce — that this was
the moment the bond between stands and dugout frayed beyond repair, but
there was another defeat for Sunderland and, in spite of what the scoreline
claims, it was too easy.

In 24 attempts during the Barclays Premier League era, Sunderland have only
beaten Manchester United once, a 2-1 victory at Roker Park in 1997. That